Attempts by the Ashok Gehlot Government, which was voted to power six months ago, to engage leaders of both communities in dialogue and the Union Minister of State for Communication Sachin Pilot’s visit to a Meena household recently has Gurjjars and Meenas showing a willingness to sort out matters and reach a compromise.

The issue of reservation raised by the Gurjjar community had snowballed into two major agitations in the state in 2007 and 2008 that crippled normal life for months. The agitations by thousands of Gurjjars saw road and train traffic halted for days in several parts and violence that claimed 71 lives, many of them protesters killed in police firing.

Pilot, a Gurjjar himself, who had voiced support for the demand for reservation for the people from his community, spent a night in a Meena hamlet in Ajmer last weekend while touring his new constituency. The young MP was a guest of Baad ka Jhopda village sarpanch Ganpat Meena, with whom he had also travelled in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections.

Pilot’s sudden visit comes just a week after Rajasthan Home Minister Shanti Dhariwal, aided by two ministers and top police and administration officials, held talks between 40 Gurjjar and Meena leaders over the reservation issue and peace between the two communities.

The two events already seem to have some bearing with K L Meena’s offer to support the Gurjjar community in their endeavour to secure five per cent reservation in the state. “We support the five per cent reservation for the Gurjjar community and resolved at the talks that we will make peace with each other,” Meena said.

Gurjjar leader Col Kirori Singh Bainsla, who fought and lost the Lok Sabha elections on a BJP ticket from the Sawai Madhopur-Tonk seat, agrees to peace, but stated that he would not end his struggle immediately. “My fight is for my community and I will continue my struggle till the five per cent reservation is given to Gurjjars,” Bainsla said.

Rajasthan Congress spokesperson Satinder Raghav said that peace between the two communities was a top priority for the Congress. “Other than the two agitations, Gurjjars and Meenas have constantly been at loggerheads, which led to the deterioration of the situation in east Rajasthan. The Chief Minister has asserted that the situation must be resolved to avoid another violent stir,” Raghav said.

The Gurjjars had initially demanded Scheduled Tribe status — enjoyed by the Meenas — that would have given equal quota opportunities to them in getting state jobs. The Meenas opposed to the demand as it would have cut into their jobs, and had resisted any move to go soft by the previous BJP government in the state.

Last year, the state Government proposed a compromise between the two communities, offering five per cent quota to the Gurjjars, but without the Scheduled Tribe status.

Following the talks last week, Dhariwal said the meet between leaders of the two communities was a success and that two sides had come to a consensus about the five per cent reservation for Gurjjars in the state. “I believe the deadlock has ended and we can look forward to peace between the two communities,” Dhariwal said. At the close of the meeting, Bainsla and K L Meena agreed to make peace.